Monthly Archives: September 2024

Sep10

donkey nannies.

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Donkey nannies in Italy

I had no idea this was a thing, and my world was made better by learning that this happens.

Each year in Italy, grazing animals are moved from high pastures down to the plains. Newborn lambs are unable to make this journey on their own. Instead, they ride in the pouches of a specially made saddle on the back of a donkey or a mule nanny. They are taken down at rest stops and returned to their mothers for a bite to eat and a bit of nuzzling.
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“animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.”
-george eliot
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Source credit: avant gardens Photo: medeamoon
Sep9

designed for rest.

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terraced lawn with shady trees, designed for busy office workers to take breaks

shanghai, china

 

—

‘design is people.’

*jane jacobs

*jane jacobs (1916-2006) was an urban writer and activist who championed new, community-based approaches to planning for over 40 years.
Sep8

ahoy!

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a beautiful morning spent paddling in the detroit canals and on the river

 not long after

we began this perfect day

it looked as though we’d been traversing the atlantic for weeks

having weathered the storms, sea, sharks, pirates, and the slightly bigger boats

catching rainwater in our hoods

 eating our last pack of dry ramen

thanks, for the adventure, friends

best day ever!

‘i’m afraid i’m an incorrigible life-lover, life-wonderer, and adventurer.’

-edith wharton

Sep7

cows just wanna’ have fun.

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Cows have best friends. Lists of the world’s most intelligent animals don’t often feature cows, but they have more emotional depth than they get credit for. A 2011 study by scientists at the University of Northampton in England revealed that not only do cows have best friends,  but they also get stressed out when separated from their BFFs. The research was conducted by comparing heart rates and cortisol levels during 30-minute sessions in which a cow was penned with a “preferred partner” it was known to have a close bond with, then a “familiar but non-preferred individual.” When the besties shared a pen together, their heart rates were lower and other signs of stress were also reduced.

Cows aren’t the only animals that form friendships. Chimpanzees and bonobos do, too, as do several others, including dolphins, horses, certain birds, and marmots. Dolphins can identify their friends by taste, whereas most other creatures are known for simply grooming, remaining in close proximity to, and touching their besties — capuchin monkeys, for example, gently stick their fingers in one another’s eye sockets as a bonding ritual.

 

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source credits:  gary larson image, university of northampton, vegnews.com, interesting facts

Sep6

follow the sun.

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walking downtown each day

passing by this house/garden

that seems to come into being

overnight

 yet

vine

by

vine

and

stem

by

stem

with

sweat

and

time

and

sun

and

rain

and

soil

and

wind

and

toil

and

finally

a lot of

pure love

then one day

i look way up

 see shining giants

as big as the house

as bright as the sun

 stand proudly in front

this friendly gentleman

has found his home in his garden

has found his joy in this bright beauty

has found delight in sharing it all with the world.

 

“the flower that follows the sun does so even in cloudy days.”

– robert leighton

Sep5

curves.

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i absolutely love

that when this sidewalk was created

someone noticed the majestic tree

growing for many years

beautiful in its natural place

respected it

and cared enough

to create a sidewalk that curved around it

rather than taking the tree out

to match the straight path that was planned.

—

‘in life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves.’

*edward g. bulwer-lytton

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*Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803-1873) was a British politician, poet, and critic, chiefly remembered, however, as a prolific novelist.

Sep4

‘the souls of emperors and cobblers are cast from the same mold.’ michel de montaigne

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i’ve recently seen not one, but two, outstanding cobbler shops

one in portugal

  a combo cobbler shop and bar

and this one in my town

bursting with creativity

a good cobbler is a treasure

both an artist and a craftsman.

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“i think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we’re supposed to make. we waste so much time making decisions based on someone else’s idea of our happiness – what will make you a good citizen or a good wife or daughter or actress. nobody says, ‘just be happy – go be a cobbler or go live with goats.’”

-sandra bullock

Sep3

burning calories.

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day one

of my return to healthy habits

slipped a pan of veggies

into the oven

got involved in a project

  over-roasted them a bit

is ‘char’ considered fiber?

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‘food over flame burns, food over heat cooks.’

-alfred the great

Sep2

take rest.

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on labor day.

—

“take rest. a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

— ovid

 

 

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art credit: whispers of the countryside, david dockery, watercolor

Sep1

cheers to a cooler september.

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stumbled upon this old ad

for what may have seemed the perfect solution 

to the age-old dilemma: 

what to choose when caught between the seasons?

hot soup or cold drink?

why not just combine them?

—

‘september showed up right on schedule, and lasted a whole month.’

-jenny wingfield, author

 

 

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image credit: campbell’s soup company, vintage ad, 1962